Denzel Washington’s Roman J. Israel, Esq. topped out among the Specialty newcomers this weekend, though the real sizzle continued to be with holdovers Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri from Fox Searchlight and A24’s Lady Bird. Both placed in the top 10 in the overall box office. Columbia’s Roman J. Israel, Esq. debuted in four theaters Friday, grossing $65K. The title, which also features Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo will go wide by Thanksgiving. Rialto’s re-release of 1935 film The Crime of Monsieur Lange played an exclusive run in New York to a solid weekend, taking in $10,200, while GKIDS’ latest animated offering The Breadwinner opened three locations grossing $19,530. IFC Films took Jamie M. Dagg’s Sweet Virginia to one theater in a day and date opening, grossing just over $5K on the big screen Friday to Sunday. The Orchard added runs for Norway’s Oscar entry Thelma in its second frame, holding well with a $16,565 gross in three locations. FilmRise’s My Friend Dahmer expanded to 75 runs in its third frame taking in $165K. National Geographic Films/Abramorama’s doc Jane crossed $1M in its fifth weekend of release, while A24’s The Killing of A Sacred Deer topped $2M in its fifth frame and the company’s The Florida Project is at over $4.3M in week 7.

Netflix didn’t release theatrical results for Dee Rees’s Mudbound. The company gave the awards hopeful a limited theatrical run over the weekend.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. did decently out of the gate in four New York and Los Angeles theaters, but it didn’t manage the box office traction of Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri or Lady Bird. The former actually outpaced Roman J. Israel, Esq., starring Denzel Washington, in its per theater average in far more theaters. Still, it didn’t tank. The Columbia Pictures release grossed $65,000, averaging $16,250. That compares to Washington’s previous film, Fences, which Paramount opened in December last year in four theaters, grossing $129,462 ($32,366 average). It later went wide, finally cuming over $57.6M.

Sony/Columbia Pictures

Like Fences, Roman J. Israel, Esq. is set to go wide. Columbia Pictures will take it across the country November 22 in time for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, but it still has a way to go to cover its $22M budget, though doable. “We expect awards attention for Denzel’s transformative performance, which will give the film legs through the holiday season and beyond,” Columbia said when reporting its numbers Sunday morning.

Rialto Pictures released a new restoration of Jean Renoir’s 1936 feature, The Crime of Monsieur Lange exclusively at New York’s Film Forum this weekend. The title took in a solid $10,200 at the location, which will next head to the Laemmle Royal in L.A. on November 22. The company said it will add more cities afterward.

GKIDS opened The Breadwinner, the latest animation from the creators of Oscar-nominated films, Song Of the Sea and The Secret of Kells, in three New York and L.A. locations Friday. The Breadwinner grossed $19,530, averaging $6,510. GKIDS said Sunday it plans to add “several screens next Friday before a larger expansion on December 1.”

IFC Films

IFC Films had a day and date bow for Sweet Virginia starring Jon Bernthal, Christopher Abbot and Imogen Poots, theatrically opening with an exclusive run in New York this weekend. Directed by Jamie M. Dagg from a Black List script by Benjamin China and Paul China, the film took in just over $5K on the big screen. IFC Films said the feature will open L.A. next week along with some “other top markets,” taking the title to 10-plus theaters next weekend.

Oscilloscope opened Song Of Granite in an exclusive showing at Film Forum in NYC, grossing $3,500 over the weekend. The Pat Collins’ biopic of legendary Irish folk singer Joe Heaney, is Ireland’s official submission to the 2018 Oscars. It will expand to Los Angeles December 8.

Last weekend, Searchlight’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri starring Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson dominated the newcomers and the title again flexed its muscle in a second weekend expansion to 53 theaters. The title even had the second-best per theater average, just behind number one title, Justice League. Three Billboards by writer-director Martin McDonagh grossed $1,115,000 Friday to Sunday, averaging a robust $21,038 and placing it 9th in the overall box office this weekend as of Sunday morning.

The film opened last weekend with the year’s third-highest PTA, grossing $320K in four locations, ($80K average).

Noted Searchlight’s Frank Rodriguez Sunday: “It’s very gratifying to be able to earn a per screen average of over $21,000 in our second weekend in release. Also noteworthy is the fact that we are in the top ten in the national box office rankings — number 9 — while only in 53 theaters across the U. S. and Canada. We are very encouraged by the fact that the film is performing great across the board…in Art and Specialty theaters like the Jacob Burns in Pleasantville NY, great urban multiplexes like the Grove in West Los Angeles, and in the Alamo Drafthouses across the country particularly in Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Austin TX.”

Twentieth Century Fox

Fox Searchlight will add 60 new markets taking the title to between 400 and 450 theaters on November 22, and will then take it to between 750 and 1000 locations December 1. Added Rodriguez: “It has been a very strong start for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and we are looking forward to a successful roll out over the next few weeks.”

The Orchard added two runs for Norway’s foreign-language entry Thelma by Joachim Trier in its second weekend. Thelma took in $16,565 in three theaters, averaging $5,522. In its debut, Thelma grossed $12,357 from a single run. It has cumed $32,771.

Menemsha Films added a location for 1945 in its third weekend. The title took in $22,462, averaging a solid $7,488. It took in nearly $21K last weekend in two theaters, averaging $10,460. It has cumed $87,457.

FilmRise added 30 theaters for My Friend Dahmer also in its third outing. In 75 locations, the bio-horror starring Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff and Anne Heche grossed $165K Friday to Sunday, averaging $2,200. The title, which looks at the life of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s struggles during high school, took in $190K in its second weekend in 45 theaters, averaging $4,222. My Friend Dahmer has cumed $485,675.

A24

Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird continues to be a box office juggernaut as it adds runs, again landing in the top 10 at the box office this weekend. In 238 theaters, Lady Bird grossed $2,529,915, averaging a robust $10,630. The A24 release was in 37 theaters last weekend, grossing over $1.24M ($33,766 average). Lady Bird has now cumed over $4.7M.

National Geographic Films/Abramorama’s documentary Jane by Brett Morgen topped seven figures over the weekend. In 84 locations, the film about primatologist Jane Goodall grossed $119,161, averaging $1,419 bringing its cume to $1,017,283.

Nearing its next milestone is A24’s The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, closing in on $2M. The title grossed $190,467 in 190 theaters Friday to Sunday, averaging just over $1K bringing its cume to $1,958,248. The Florida Project from A24 meanwhile, handily cruised over $4M in its seventh weekend. In 217 theaters, the film by Sean Baker grossed $326,325, averaging $1,504. It has cumed $4,333,417 as of Sunday.

GKIDS

NEW RELEASES

The Breadwinner (GKIDS) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $19,530, Average $6,510